Ed Daniel- Technical Director

Mr. e was born after the sepia-toned days, just as things got a little pastel. His mom was instrumental in placing him in numerous pageants and choirs in her church and was always there to encourage; these shows are part of his earliest memories. His first named role was as Rip Van Winkle in a 6th grade production, and in middle school he performed as Prince Edward in a Heidelberg College production of Richard III, as well as various roles with the Tiffin Children’s Theatre. At Tiffin Columbian HS, Ed served on the crew for several shows and on stage for West Side Story and as Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet and became the first freshman singer in the Columbian HS Show Choir. As part of his 5-year-plan in pursuit of a BA in Communication and Theatre Arts at Heidelberg College, Ed participated in nearly every theatre production. As a freshman, he performed the role of Tony in You Can’t Take It With You, one of the first performances in the new Gundlach Theatre. Ed served as cast and crew for dozens more shows before graduating in 1980. In 1977 Ed was Stage Manager for The Mikado, the first performance of Upper Sandusky’s Star Theatre Players, a troupe/theatre still in operation today. E was also lead singer in touring bands during the 70’s, including “Gabriel” and “The Wall Street Band”. Ed married Kelley, his high school sweetheart, in 1981, moved to Hilliard in 1984, and together they have raised three Darby Grads: Luke, Erin, and Clay. While in Hilliard, Mr. e has designed and built three sets and helped manage the road crews for Darby Indoor Percussion performances, including WGI 5th place “The Race”; he currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Hilliard Arts Council and as Tech Director for HAC productions; and he is in his 12th year as Chairman and Entertainment Director of Old Hilliardfest. E has been Technical Director for the Darby Troupe for four years. At Darby, he routinely claims to have “The Best Crew Ever”!

Heather Sherrill- Troupe DirectorA brief history of Mrs. Sherrill: Heather Bair Sherrill started her theatre career in 1st grade in California, as the maid in The King and Queen Who Would Not Speak and a weeklong stint on the PBS Television show Romper Room. After that, she was hooked! Some of her most favorite musical roles have been Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, Rose in The Secret Garden, and Charity in Anything Goes. Some of Heather's favorite roles in plays have been Libby in Blue Window, Jan in Bedroom Farce, and the Senator in The Boys Next Door. As a result of all of this theatre stuff, she decided to major in theatre in college. Heather was nominated for the Irene Ryan award in 1997 for her role as Jan in Bedroom Farce. Spring of 2009, Heather graduated from Cal State Bakersfield University third in her class, with a BA in Theatre. Growing up in Cali allowed her to go Disneyland countless times. As a result, Heather worked for Disney while in college! She loves all things Disney and knows a ton about it! But her all time favorite character is the Cheshire Cat! So what brought her to Ohio you say, a boy!;) In 2009 she married Tom Sherrill and moved across country to Columbus. She answered a call for an associate theatre director for Darby in the fall of 2014. And the rest is history. :)

Craig Lohmann- Accociate DirectorCraig Lohmann got his start in theatre in the fifth grade when his music teacher tasked him with singing a song (“I Love My Locker”) about a student’s love/hate relationship with his locker in the school’s musical performance, School Daze. Although it was a fun experience, it did not create a lasting theatre impression on him. Theatre opportunities came again in 7th grade when Craig’s Language Arts teacher noticed that he had a little extra energy to expend in class that needed to be steered in a positive, productive direction. His teacher directed him to the middle school’s drama club, who were already in the midst of rehearsing for their upcoming comedic play, Frumpled Fairy Tales. Craig seamlessly joined the group and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of playing Rapunzel’s ambling prince as well as a not-so-threatening wolf chasing after Little Red Riding Hood. Later that year, he joined the 7th/8th grade musical, School House Rock Live! Jr., where he portrayed an Elvis character who sang about the life cycle of blood in the body (“Circulation”). He developed many close friendships with his theatre peers, and he felt that he had found a place where he could express himself and have a blast. He continued his theatre career in 8th grade in that year’s 7th/8th grade musical performance, Gone with the Breeze. In high school, Craig performed in the chorus and took on minor roles in Beauty and the Beast, Annie, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. In his senior year, he switched gears and played trombone as a part of the pit orchestra for the school’s performance of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Now that he is a teacher at Hilliard Darby High School, Craig is excited to be involved in the Darby Theatre where he hopes to guide students on their own theatre journey and help them find as much enjoyment from the theatre experience as he did.

Brian Tonti- Silent Partner

Brian Tonti has been on stage for most of his life, beginning in 5th grade with a lead in his school’s musical…and it’s been all downhill from there. Throughout middle and high school, he’s been fortunate enough to act in everything from My Fair Lady to The Diary of Anne Frank, but comedic roles suit him best. After high school, Brian attended Bradley University in Peoria, IL, and saw more stage time in minor roles, although the majority of his time began to shift towards education, culminating in his receiving a teaching degree in 1997 from Capital University. This was also the year he married Holly, with whom he now has three beautiful daughters, all of which seem to have gotten some of his sarcasm and humor. While teaching became his career, theatre and acting have remained his outlet for expression over the years. Before becoming Darby’s Assistant Director in 2010, he explored many theatrical avenues: starting a drama team at his church; emceeing and performing onstage for Vacation Bible Schools; and even starring in a commercial for the Ohio Department of Health that aired throughout Ohio in 2010-2011. His short-term theatrical goal would be to star in a show for the Columbus Children’s Theatre. In the meantime, he is content to continue his work with Darby Theatre, directing the occasional one-act show and working to promote all of the fantastic things that the program offers year in and year out.

Although not a director on the payroll anymore, Mr. Tonti still enjoys being a resource for students and parents. He has all the keys and knows where everything is, so he can't help but be involved!

Justin Gabriel Gates- Troupe Director Emeritus

(Mr. Gates is the one on the right!)

Justin Gabriel Gates swore off theatre after his tragic portrayal of Happy the Runaway Snowman in third grade, but fell in love with it in high school when Mrs. Brenneman forced him to be a Jewish Father for Fiddler on the Roof his freshman year. He graduated from Hilliard High School in 1991 and attended Otterbein University, pursuing a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre degree. He spent time with local community theatre as a performer and with ShadoArt Productions as a performer and as their Local Public Relations Director. He then moved to New York and worked on several off Broadway productions. He also tried his luck in Los Angeles and was a part of several movie projects, one of which brought him home to film in Columbus, Ohio. He then became involved with Columbus State's DEAFinitely Theatre production company, where he was lead voice for two productions, and where he met the love of his life, Lisa Gates. Graduating from Ohio Dominican University in 2005, he turned his sights on education and began as Darby's troupe Director in 2009.

"There's a joy and a pain about directing, where the dreams you have are becoming concrete but the attention to detail, the need for time is such that it's overwhelming at times, and the stream of responsibility." -William Shatner